Electrical connector



Defi 1947- S.'M. DEL CAMP 2,432,966

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed Nov. 11, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec.16,1947. fs. M. DEL CAMP 2,432,966

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed Nov, 11, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SCEPiO'ZZBMDEZCtZWi ZJ.

wag haw Patented Dec. 16, 1947 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Scipione M. De! Camp, Maywood, Iil., assignor to Cinch Manufacturing Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application November 11, 1943, Serial No. 509,885

4 Claims. (Cl. 173--363) The present invention relates to electrical connectors of the type having a portion connected to an electrical circuit of another portion adapted to detachably receive a current-carrying conductor for supplying electrical current to said circuit and aims generally to improve existing connectors for that purpose.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improved connector adapted to be readily mounted by a snap fastening engagement in an'apertured support and provided with means for detachably receiving a terminal tip of an electrical conductor.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an improved connector which may be formed of a single piece of metal, and shaped to be detachably attached to a support to occupy a minimum of space and having provision for improved electrical connections with the conductor of an electrical circuit.

Other aims and objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the accompanying drawings and annexed specification illustrating and describing one preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings Fig. l is an enlarged plan view of a blank from which a preferred form of improved connector is made;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the connector;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the improved connector as attached to an insulating support;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation thereof as taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a similar view as taken on the line 5-5 of Fi 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the apertured support;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the connector mounting illustrating the manner of connecting the conductors thereto; and i Fig. 8 is a sectional view as taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4 illustrating the conductor connected to the connector.

Referring to the drawings, the connector selected for illustrative purposes herein is adapted to detachably receive and provide a good effective electrical connection with an electrical conductor I having a terminal tip 2' securedv by suitablemeans, such as soldering to the core 3 of the conductor, said tip preferably having an enlarged head 4 of suitable conducting material (Figs. 7 and 8). Preferably the head 4 may be an annular disc-like head integral with the tip 2,

though it will be obvious that other forms 'of conductor tips may be employed.

One preferred form of connector embodying the invention is illustrated in the drawings and advantageously may be formed of a single blank of metal l0 (Fig. 1) having a body portion II, a head portion l2 and a terminal tail portion [3.

The blank I 0 advantageously is of elongated form,

the opposed sides of the head portion ll of which are notched as at M adjacent the body H, as is illustrated in-Fig. 1. The head and body portions [2, H are slit along spaced lines i5 from the head end to provide an elongated tongue l6 joined to the blank it] near the tail portion l3 and spaced jaw portions I! at the sides of the blank forward of the notches l4.

The jaw portions l! are adapted to be bent angularly to the body ll along line l8, preferably substantially in line with the rear edge of the notches l4, and the tongue bent angularly along line l9 spaced rearwardly of the line iii, so as to provide a conductor tip-receiving head angularly disposed with respect to thebody l i and tail l3. Preferably the distance between the folding lines l8 and i9 is such that the space between adjacent faces of the angularly formed tongue l6 and jaws ll of the head is slightly less than the thickness of the disc tip 4 of the conductor with which the connector is used.

In bending the jaw portions l'l angularly to the body portion ll, or after such bending, the laws may be pinched toward each other to reduce the space between adjacent edges thereof and to form a more restricted opening for the terminal tip 2. Preferably the adjacent edges of the jaws l! are somewhat ogee in form, as shown in Fig. 4, to provide an entering throat 20, a reduced neck portion 2| and an adjacent socket portion 22. The reduced neck may be slightly less than the diameter of the tip 2 so that the tip may be forced into the socket and retained therein by a snap fastener action. In pinching the jaws I! together or otherwise contracting the throat 20, portions of the jaws are brought in opposed relation to the end of the tongue [6 providing opposed surfaces for engaging opposite sides of the terminal tip head 3 throughout a relatively large area, thus insuring an eflicient electrical contact therewith.

The primary function of the tongue I6 is to provide a resilient contact surface for the conductor tip head 3 and as it is integrally joined to the body portion II it provides a conducting medium between the head l2 and tail l3. The

he d end of the tongue is preferably enlarged or of disc type connected to the body portion II by a reduced shank I6 which preferably lies below or out of the plane of the body portion II. Thus an open slot is formed in the body portion H providing sufficient resilience between the spaced parts of the body portion II and jaws 11 provide the resilient snap fastener to receive the terminal tip 2 and for mounting the connector in a support. To insure sufficient resilient movement of the jaws I I and spaced portion of the body II, the opposed adjacent edges of the body portions I! may be notched as at 23 (Fig. 1) to embrace a portion of the angularly disposed tongue. The connector is preferably mounted on an insulated support which conveniently may be a thin sheet 25 of suitable dielectric material and preferably is affixed thereto by having portions of the connector engage in an aperture 26 of the support by a snap fastening action. The aperture 26 may be of any desired shape but conveniently is T-shaped, as shown in Fig. 6, to provide a tongue-receiving portion 21 and a relatively wide jaw-receiving portion 28.

The connector may be secured to the support 25 by a snap fastener action by merely inserting the head end of the connector through the aperture 27. As will be noted, in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, the outer edges of the jaws I! are tapered slightly from the recess [4 toward the ends thereof so that they may be forced between the jawreceiving portion 27 of the aperture. This effects a contraction of the jaws I'l toward each other which is permitted by the notch portions 23 of the body portions I I embracing the tongue shank. When the head l2 has been inserted through the aperture 26 sufficiently far that the body portion H is in substantially flush engagement with the support, the notches M are thus disposed in the plane of the support 25 permitting the resilient jaws to snap outwardly and gripping the support between opposed faces of the notches, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. The connector is thus securely attached to the support.

The tail portion l3 of the connector is preferably of sufficient length to extend beyond an edge of the support and is preferably formed with suitable means for securely receiving the core of a conductor 38 forming part of the electrical circuit. The tail or wiring terminal end l3 may be T-shaped as shown to permit the conductor core being wrapped around it, or it may be apertured as at 29 or otherwise formed to permit the ready attachment of the conductor 30 thereto.

It will be apparent from the above description and reference to th accompanying drawings that the invention provides an efficient and inexpensive connector which may be readily formed from a single piece of metal and quickly attached to an apertured support by a snap fastening action. In its mounted installation, the body of the connector may be below the support, out of view, with the terminal-receiving head exposed and readily accessible for the insertion of the terminal tip of a conductor. The novel construction of the head 12 permits the ready insertion of the terminal tip of the conductor, and the secure fastening of it in place. The provision of opposed terminal tip-engaging surfaces of relatively large area insures a highly efficient and effective electrical connector.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred form of my invention, 1 do not wish to vention is best defined by the following claims.

I claim: I

1. An electrical connector having a body portion and a conductor tip-receiving head, said head comprising separate resilient contact portions disposed in spaced planes. the portion disposed in one of said planes being divided to provide a pair of jaws spaced apart in said plane providing therebetween a conductor tip-receiving throat and opposing shoulders on the edges of said jaws providing the only means for securing said connector to a support.

2. An electrical connector having a body portion, a pair of spaced jaw portions extending from said body portion, said jaw portions being resilient for their entire length and providing between them a snap fastener socket for receiving a conductor terminal tip and a contact member resilient connected to said body portion and disposed in spaced relation to said jaw portions for electrical contact with a conductor terminal tip when positioned between said jaws, the outer marginal edges of said jaw portions being inclined in divergent relation from the free ends of said jaw portions and having notched for snap fastener engagement with an apertured support.

3. In combination with an apertured support, an electrical connector attached to said support, said connector comprising a body portion disposed in substantially flush engagement with one face of said support, conductor tip-receiving jaws disposed angularly to said body portion and extending through said aperture in said support, said jaws being disposed in substantially the same plane and resiliently movable toward and away from each other edgewise, and the outer edges of said jaws having opposing shoulders for snap fastener engagement with said support through said aperture thereof to hold said connector in assembly therewith. I

4. In combination with an apertured support, an electrical connector attached to said support, said connector comprising a body portion disposed in substantially flush engagement with one face of said support, conductor tip-receiving jaws disposed angularly to said body portion and extending through said aperture in said support, said jaws being disposed in substantially the same plane and resiliently movable toward and away from each other edgewise, and the outer marginal edges of said jaws being inclined in divergent relation from the free end of said jaws and having notches for receiving in snap fastener engagement the edges of said support adjacent said aperture to hold said connector in assembly therewith.

SCIPIONE M. DEL CAMP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,191,674 Alden Aug. 4, 1942 1,965,270 Werner July 3, 1934 1,251,856 Barr Jan. 1, 1918 1,896,443 Fossati Feb. 7, 1933 2,125,843 Hall Aug. 2, 1938 2,294,896 Eby Sept. 8, 1942 

